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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114005">First Snow and Love Confessions</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callie_Girl/pseuds/Callie_Girl'>Callie_Girl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Love Confessions, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Secret Santa, Snow, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, very lightly implied</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:02:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,061</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callie_Girl/pseuds/Callie_Girl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sokka is very excited for the first snow of the year and Zuko's birthday. Zuko not so much.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>First Snow and Love Confessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Zuko? Zuko, wake up!” Zuko groaned quietly and swatted at his boyfriend. Another insistent shake got him to open his eyes, and he glared fiercely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka was grinning, excitement clear on his face. “It snowed!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko groaned again and put a pillow over his head. “You woke me up to tell me that it snowed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, this is your first time seeing it!” If he hadn’t been so tired, he would’ve had to agree with Sokka there- Zuko had spent most of his life in Nevada. He’d only been in Wisconsin for a few months. The only experience he had with snow was seeing it on television. He should have been excited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But right now, he just wanted to sleep for a few more hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll see it later.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It might melt,” Sokka insisted, shaking him again. “C’mon. I’ll make breakfast if you come downstairs to see.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Knowing Sokka wouldn’t leave him alone until he went and saw the stupid snow, Zuko groaned again and threw off the blankets- only to regret his decision a nanosecond later when the cold hit him. He burrowed back under the blankets, but most of their warmth was already lost. Great.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guh- Sokka, turn on the space heater.” Sokka snorted but complied, redirecting the heater so it pointed directly at Zuko.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s sixty-eight degrees, not the tundra.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sixty-eight degrees is the dead of bitter winter for me,” Zuko grumbled. He stuck a hand out from under the heavy blankets and waited until the room was an acceptable temperature before he got out from under the blankets again. Knowing the rest of the house would probably be the same unreasonably-cold temperature or colder, he dressed in the warmest things he had. Sokka laughed at him for the scarf, but he wasn’t braving what his boyfriend thought was an appropriate temperature without proper protection. He wanted to not freeze to death before graduating high school.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, once he decided he had enough on, he followed Sokka down the stairs to the sliding glass doors. As promised, the entire world was covered in a blanket of white so bright Zuko had to squint his one seeing eye to protect it. Icicles hung from the edge of the gutter, sharp and glittering and promising that Zuko was most certainly not setting foot outside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well?” Sokka finally asked, all but vibrating with excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko wrinkled his nose. “It’s so… white.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka snorted. “It’s snow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So I suppose I can count you out of the snowball fight later?” It was a joke, but Zuko groaned again. Yeah, he was definitely out. “So, I promised breakfast?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko nodded. “I’m gonna go back upstairs.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. I’ll bring it up to you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Sokka went back upstairs with a tray of breakfast in one hand and a cup of extra-strong hot cocoa in the other, Zuko was laying in bed, wrapped in blankets, watching a show with two guys examining the body of a woman dressed all in pink.  Sokka set the tray on his boyfriend’s lap and handed him the cocoa, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Do you remember what today is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He saw panic flash across Zuko’s face and grabbed his hand. “Hey, it’s okay. I swear I won’t be mad if- gods, Zuko, it’s your birthday!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” Zuko relaxed back into his throne of pillows. “Oh, right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what that means?” Sokka squeezed his hand gently. “Today is all about you. Whatever you want today is yours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Zuko smiled nervously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. I want you to be happy today.” Sokka kissed him again. He knew that Zuko’s past birthdays in his past… living arrangement hadn’t exactly been nice, so he wanted to make this one special. “Whatever you want is yours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm…” Zuko leaned against Sokka, resting his head on Sokka’s shoulder. “Let me think about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” He wrapped an arm around Zuko’s slim shoulders and rubbed his arm through the blankets. They watched the rest of the episode of whatever Zuko had put on (it was a Sherlock Holmes TV show, Sokka later saw,) and got hallways through the next one. Once Zuko was done eating, he paused the show.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… can I just ask for this? Can we just stay in bed all day and relax?” Zuko fiddled nervously with the fork.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Zuko. Whatever you want.” He took the tray back downstairs and made a lot of popcorn, fed the cat, then went back up. Zuko curled against him hesitantly and Sokka wrapped an arm around him. Eventually, as they finished the first show and moved onto one that started with a blonde lady burning on the ceiling, Zuko began to relax. He even began to comment on the show along with Sokka.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>About halfway through the first season of the pentagram show, Zuko began to fall asleep. Even though his instincts told him not to sleep, not while someone else was around, but… He was beginning to trust Sokka. Sokka was always kind to him. If he was waiting for Zuko to trust him before he started being cruel, he was playing a long game. Yeah, Sokka was nice… Zuko could… Zuko could trust him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And before he knew it, he had nodded off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka wasn’t quite sure when Zuko fell asleep, but he realized it had happened during the episode where a bunch of cows got killed. He’d looked over to see if Zuko was okay with the animal death and had found him asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He might’ve melted a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Carefully, so as not to wake his sleeping boyfriend, Sokka pulled him closer and put the half-empty bowl of popcorn on the bedside table. Zuko looked so calm, like he had no worries. He looked like the sixteen-year-old kid he was. Maybe even younger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wrapped another arm around Zuko and pulled the blankets up, then turned off the TV. “Sleep tight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An hour later, Zuko woke up suddenly and nearly kicked himself out of bed. Sokka’s arm locked around his waist to keep him from falling and pulled him back up. “Sh, sh, Zuko, it’s okay. You’re safe. It’s me, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko pressed against his chest, breathing hard. Sokka hugged him, rubbing circles between his shoulder blades. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. Breath with me… in for four… hold for seven, out for eight… there we go,” he led Zuko through the breathing exercise a few more times, until the heartbeat he could feel through their clothes slowed. “There we go. Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“F-fine,” Zuko choked out. “I’m fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright.” He’d never been good at comforting people or any of that emotional stuff, but when he’d started dating Zuko he’d had to learn fast. It was worth it, though, to not have to run for Katara or Aang every time Zuko had a nightmare or anxiety attack. “Do you want the TV back on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no… This is good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” He kissed Zuko’s forehead and started rubbing the tight muscles on his back, slowly coaxing him to relax. At some point, he started talking about random stuff, which was something he’d learned could help keep Zuko grounded. It was one of the few things he hadn’t had to learn how to do when he’d started dating Zuko. Occasionally, he would press another kiss to Zuko’s forehead. “You’re beautiful. You know that, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t have to see Zuko to know that Zuko blushed. He wasn’t good at taking compliments. “Am I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Every time I see you, I wonder if I’ve died and gone to Heaven because it feels like the only explanation for the angel I see in front of me. Your voice is like music, the most incredible music I’ve ever heard. You’re incredible. Incredible, beautiful, smart, talented, kind, and so, so strong. And anyone who can’t see that must be blind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you… Um…” That was another thing- Zuko wasn’t good at receiving compliments, and he was terrible at giving them, too. “You’re so nice to me, even though I think I don’t deserve it a lot. You’re handsome, like… like… like a greek god. It’s like one of those statues came to life and it’s you… Um…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I get it,” Sokka said, trying desperately not to laugh. “Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmph… Sokka, c-can I… Can I say something?” Zuko tensed again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sokka’s anxiety instantly shot to “he wants to break up with me,” but he forced it down and replied, “Of course. Anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… Well, I…” Zuko took a deep breath, mind going a million miles an hour. He was really going to do this, wasn’t he? Was it too soon? They’d been dating for six months, it didn’t seem like it was too soon. But he never knew. What if it was way too early and Sokka got creeped out? What if Sokka didn’t feel the same way? What if what if what if what if-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, hey, Zuko. Zuko, c’mon, breath. C’mon… sh sh sh shh… C’mon, in for four-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I LOVE YOU!” Zuko blurted out. He instantly buried his burning face into Sokka’s chest, heart trying to break out of his chest. Oh, gods, he’d ruined everything. He’d ruined his entire relationship. It was going to be so awkward- it wasn’t like he could go back to his family, not if he wanted to live, he would either stay there or go… somewhere. Oh no. What would he do? Where would he go? He barely had any money to his name, not enough to get a hotel for a week. But he couldn’t just go out on his own in the beginning of Wisconsin winter- Oh no oh no oh no-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You love me? Hey, hey-” Sokka ran his thumb over Zuko’s cheekbone. “Hey, relax. Breath, Zuko. Breath.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’M SORRY!” Zuko shouted. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so so sorry please don’t break up with me please pleasepleasepleaseplease-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa, hey, back up.” Sokka hugged him tighter. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not upset and I’m sure as hell not going to break up with you… Zuko… I love you, too. Zuko, I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Zuko froze, train of thought going from the speed of light to completely frozen. For a second, he thought he’d misheard. He must’ve misheard, there was no way- “R-really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Zuko, I… I love you.” Sokka hugged him tighter still, rubbing his spine gently. “Don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a long silence as Zuko waited for him to announce that he was joking. As more and more time passed and it didn’t come, he began to relax slowly, melting against Sokka. Sokka loved him. No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, he couldn’t quite believe it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sokka?” He whispered, breaking through the silence that had fallen over them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I… can I kiss you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course.” Sokka put a hand under Zuko’s chin and tilted his face up, then leaned forward to close the short distance between their lips. The kiss was soft and hesitant at first, Sokka could tell that Zuko was nervous, but grew more confident as Zuko did. It felt like it only lasted a second, but at the same time like it lasted an eternity. “Gods, how did I get this lucky?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I should be asking,” Zuko whispered, prompting Sokka to hug him tighter. He tensed on reflex but relaxed quickly. He wished he could freeze this moment and spend forever in it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They spent another hour like that, cuddling, talking about whatever came to mind, until Sokka’s stomach grumbled and Zuko realized how hungry he also was. Then his cat, a large Norweigian forest cat named Dragon, scratched instantly on their door, reminding both of them that the cat probably needed dinner. They went back downstairs, Zuko with a light yet warm blanket wrapped around his shoulders, hands intertwined. After feeding the cat, Sokka put nearly an entire bag of tater-tots in the oven as Zuko wandered back over to the sliding glass door. It was snowing, flakes that looked like the ends of Q-Tips. He didn’t realize that Zuko was coming over until a lean arm wrapped around his middle. He didn’t even flinch that time, just leaned back against Sokka. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Sokka started, smile in his voice. “About that snowball fight-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely not.”</span>
</p>
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